Cardiogenic anomalies and other life-threatening situations that require defibrillation or monitoring of electrocardiogram (EKG) activity place a great deal of stress on the emergency personnel attending. An example of such a situation is where a patient is undergoing cardiac arrest. In such a case, the responding emergency personnel are expected to connect defibrillator electrodes to a defibrillator/monitor (such as the LIFEPAK.RTM. defibrillator/monitors available from Physio-Control Corporation, Redmond, Wash.), apply the electrodes to the patient's chest area, and use the defibrillator/monitor to determine a further course of action. A typical sequence of steps in this process includes attaching defibrillator/monitor cable leads to electrode pads, applying the electrode pads to the patient's chest, and using the defibrillator/monitor display to interpret the EKG signals. The defibrillator/monitor cable leads are usually attached to the electrode pads before the pads are applied to the patient's chest to avoid the patient discomfort that might otherwise occur if the cable leads were pressed onto pads already attached to the patient.
Although the procedure of attaching electrode pads to the patient's chest and connecting the defibrillator/monitor cable leads to the electrode pads may seem simple and straightforward, in actual emergency situations errors may occur. Thus, it is advantageous to thoroughly and completely train attending emergency personnel in all aspects of this procedure. One method of training recognized to be effective is the repetitive simulation of emergency situations.
Training procedures of the past utilize an EKG simulation signal generator. Typically, these signal generators produce a simulated EKG signal at two electrical stud posts provided on the generator. The trainee attaches the defibrillator/monitor cable leads to the stud posts and, using the signal from the EKG simulation signal generator, evaluates and determines a next course of action, e.g., defibrillation. Although this training procedure provides practice in interpreting EKG signals, there is no attempt to simulate the appearance of a patient, or the process of attaching electrode pads to the patient. This training procedure places primary emphasis on the correct interpretation of the signal generated by the EKG simulation signal generator and not on the actual manual manipulation of the electrode pads and defibrillator/monitor cable leads. In fact, no electrode pads are used in this type of training procedure.
Another approach to training involves simulating the appearance of a patient by placing the EKG simulation signal generator inside of a mannequin. The electrical stud posts of the EKG simulation signal generator protrude from the chest area of the mannequin at substantially the same positions that electrodes would be applied in actual patient use. The trainee attaches an electrode-shaped adhesive pad to the chest area of the mannequin by aligning the electrical stud posts with a hole in the adhesive pad. Although this advance improved the cosmetic appearance of the simulation and introduced the step of applying adhesive pads, there yet was lacking the simulation and training of the sequence of applying electrode pads to the leads and then to the patient in the correct torsal locations. In the above-described prior art, the placement of the electrode pad is prompted by the location of the electrical stud posts and thus, there is no doubt as to the placement of the electrode pads. It will be appreciated that the correct placement of the electrode pads onto a patient is critical, since the electrode pad location greatly influences the effectiveness of monitoring and treatment. The present invention is directed toward also providing training in the correct placement of the electrode pads.
Furthermore, manufacturing specialized mannequins with EKG simulation signal generators incorporated within is cost prohibitive. Instead, it would be advantageous to utilize existing equipment to train the emergency personnel. For example, mannequins for use in Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training are readily available and relatively common. Further, the use of existing independent EKG simulation signal generators would be advantageous.
The present invention is directed to avoiding the foregoing and other disadvantages by providing a realistic training electrode that is reusable, inexpensive, utilizes existing equipment, and aids in accurately simulating the process of EKG monitoring, evaluation, and defibrillation.